2 Babes Talk Supply Chain

Today I’m joined by Logixboard, your one-stop customer engagement platform that helps your customers be more efficient and have more visibility into their processes. Julian Alvarez, Chief Executive Officer at Logixboard, joins me to chat all about the company: what they do; their passion for their customers, for industry trends and the latest tech; and the current challenges in supply chain.   IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS: [05.55] Julian's entrepreneurial journey. [09.45] An overview of what Logixboard does and how it helps its customers. “We are a white-labeled shipping visibility software.” [13.29] A closer at look at Logixboard's platform, and the challenges it helps to solve for customers. “We're really trying to provide them that track-and-trace and visibility data... How do we help tell this entire story of the lifecyle of shipment?" [22.38] Julian and Logixboard's approach to mindset. “Having a mindset that data is an asset is ultra critical.” [33.23] Logixboard's ideal customer. [35.28] A case stu

In today’s episode of Women In Supply Chain, I’m joined by Donna Wilczek: innovator, business leader, tech strategist and inventor. Donna is a SaaS technology executive who, over the course of her 20 year career, has worked at major names like IBM and Accenture. As well as currently serving as the senior vice president of product strategy and innovation at Coupa Software and on the board of Optimizely, a digital experience platform, Donna is also an inventor and technology innovator. Today Donna will be talking to us about her career so far; her passion for tech; her innovative spirit and talent for invention; and she’ll be sharing her experiences as a woman in the industry, and her words of advice for all of the women following in her footsteps.   SHOW SPONSOR: Apex Logistics are proud to sponsor Let’s Talk Supply Chain’s Women in Supply Chain podcast and blog series. Our leadership team actively works to empower an industry as diverse as our workforce with a focus on inclusion, and we’re passionate about pr

Today I’m joined by Logixboard, an exciting software company who are helping freight forwarders to deliver unparalleled customer experience, by combining logistics expertise and personalized service with a powerful digital platform. Logixboard is a one-stop customer engagement platform for freight forwarders that helps their customers be more efficient and have more visibility into their processes. With a focus on simplifying logistics and delivering unrivalled customer experience, Logixboard can help you to boost customer retention, supercharge your sales team, scale your operations and confidently compete in a busy market. Today Julian Alvarez, co-founder and CEO at Logixboard, joins me to chat all about the company: what they do; their dedication to customer experience; and the challenges facing the shipping industry right now.   IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS:   [05.30] Julian’s entrepreneurial journey and how he came to co-found Logixboard. “We fell deeply in love with the industry and the opportunity for i

Today I’m joined by pioneering software company ToolsGroup, the innovators of service-driven supply chain planning software for companies that face high demand volatility, along with distribution and product line complexity. For more than two decades, ToolsGroup has been helping companies around the globe achieve the highest service levels in their industries while streamlining inventory and logistics costs. Their flagship software, SO99+, automates and optimizes supply chain planning tasks including demand forecasting and sensing, multi-echelon inventory optimization, replenishment and S&OP to meet target service levels. Today David Barton, General Manager for the Americas at ToolsGroup, joins me to chat all about the company: what they do; how their service-driven approach sets them apart; and exactly how we get our businesses ready for anything.   IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS: [07.26] The incredible history, dating back to the ’70s, that led founders Joseph and Eugenio to establish ToolsGroup. “They dis

Today I’m joined by Quickbase, a company who are on a mission to unleash the creativity and problem-solving power of everyone in your business, so you can innovate every day. Quickbase is an application development platform that unites business and IT teams by enabling problem solvers of any technical background to work together to safely, securely and sustainably to create an ecosystem of applications. Quickbase helps businesses accelerate the continuous innovation of unique processes by enabling citizen development at scale across one common platform. Today Peter Rifken, Principal Solutions Consultant at Quickbase, joins me to chat all about the company: what they do; the importance of operational agility; and the power to be found in unlocking the potential of your people.   IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS: [06.02] An introduction to Quickbase. “Our goal, at the highest level, is to help our customers achieve operational agility.” [08.13] An explanation of the terms no-code, low-code and citizen development.

 In today’s episode of Women In Supply Chain, I’m joined by Tara St James: a fashion designer, sustainable design strategist and responsible supply chain consultant all rolled into one. Tara has spent the last 20 years designing and producing collections for both men and women; and she’s overseen development, production and design procedures at factories across the globe. This extensive experience in product development, sourcing, textile research and development, led her to dive deeper into sustainability and supply chain, and she’s never looked back. Tara established her own sustainable womenswear brand in 2009, successfully running it for over 11 years, and went on to found Re:Source(d), a consultancy and education platform looking to demystify the world of sustainable fashion and textile sourcing. She’s an instructor at the Fashion Institute of Technology, as well as holding leadership roles at a sustainable fashion brand and fashion collaboration platform. Today Tara will be talking to us about her care

Today I’m joined by Vizion, an exciting supply chain and logistics tech company that offers API's and tools to help businesses integrate quality ocean freight tracking data from almost any carrier in a single, easy to use structure. Founded in 2018, Vizion provides the technology and data needed to build and deliver end-to-end logistics visibility for shippers, forwarders and software developers. Combining simple APIs for tracking international ocean freight with a global web of carrier connections, the Vizion platform provides you with the data you need to optimize the quality and cost of your visibility. Today Kyle Henderson, CEO & Co-Founder at Vizion, joins me to chat all about the company: what they do; how their real-time technology successfully pulls together shippers and forwarders; and the future of visibility.   IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS: [07.21] Kyle’s background, and the entrepreneurial spirit that led him to be a part of nine tech start-ups before eventually founding Vizion. “I really doubl

Today I’m joined by Notably, a modern PR agency that’s on a mission to help leaders take their companies to the next level. Notably is a PR agency for high-growth companies that want to scale quickly, raise serious capital, be acquired or go public. Combining traditional public relations with digital marketing and creative services, Notably’s senior-level team takes pride in taking both B2C and B2B brands from unknown to notable. Today Carin Warner, co-founder at Notably, joins me to chat all about the company: what they do and the different ways they can help your brand; as well as her longstanding career in PR, what’s changed over the years and what the future might bring when it comes to making your business stand out from the crowd.   IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS: [05.32] Carin’s career in PR, and the journey that led her to co-found Notably. “I love to think about how to help companies succeed – and that really was the vision behind Notably.” [08.17] What Notably do and how they help their customers “We

Today I’m joined by Transmetrics, a leading tech company that optimizes logistics planning and asset management by leveraging the power of predictive analytics and artificial intelligence. Transmetrics is a state-of-the-art AI platform developed exclusively for logistics. Established in Bulgaria in 2013, Transmetrics’ unrivaled technology uses a unique approach for analyzing, modeling and predicting transport flows with very high accuracy. Combining the technical knowledge of big data and predictive analytics with hands-on expertise in transport and logistics, Transmetrics’ solutions have brought significant benefits to top-tier logistics companies worldwide. Today Marc Meyer, Chief Commercial Officer at Transmetrics, joins me to chat all about the company; what they do; the challenges that the logistics industry is facing right now; and the role data, AI and tech innovation will play in the coming years.   IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS: [05.47] How and why Transmetrics was founded. “In most of the companies th

In today’s episode of Women In Supply Chain, I’m joined by Lisa Morales Hellebo: a truly inspirational VC, entrepreneur, product strategist and community builder, with 25 years of experience working with start-ups and Fortune 500s alike. After beginning her career in graphic design, Lisa pulled together her talents for creativity, product design and innovation and set her sights on tech. After successfully founding her own start-up, and being named one of the Top 10 Women in DC Tech, Lisa realized the impact she could have helping other start-ups. Her passion and commitment to the acceleration of technologies that advance the industry has only grown and now, as well as advising others, she is also the co-founder of two organizations, that focus on funding innovation and revolutionizing supply chain. Today, Lisa will be talking to us about her career so far; her love for fashion tech and passion for innovation; her reflections on the corporate world’s approach to sustainability; and she’ll be sharing her words

Today I’m joined by SourceDay, a leading tech company who believes that supplier collaboration is the first mile of your supply chain – optimize that, and you can stop misses at the source. SourceDay’s cloud solution digitally transforms collaboration between buyers and suppliers. Pulling together RFQ, Purchase Order, and AP Collaboration with quality control, the SourceDay platform allows business to manage their direct spend more efficiently, providing line-item detail that delivers big picture results. Today Tom Kieley, CEO & Co-founder at SourceDay, joins me to chat all about the company; what they do; the impact of COVID disruption on productivity; and the importance of collaboration, visibility and good data in facilitating strong relationships between buyers and suppliers.   IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS: [06.40] How and why SourceDay was founded, and the story behind the name. “The number one thing that was killing business day in, day out was their suppliers and ability to communicate, collaborate

Today I’m excited to be joined by Sarah Scudder, President & CRO at Real Sourcing Network and a superstar in the packaging space, who is helping to change the way we think about how the products we sell, and use, are packaged. Packaging is a really important topic, because so much of our economy is based around consumption – an average consumer in the western world will handle more than 50 packaged products or items every single day! – and so the conversations around issues like the air miles of those products, the labor practices and of course, sustainability, are key. Today Sarah joins me to chat all about single vs multi-use plastics, recycling vs reusing, innovations in the packaging space, and the impact more sustainable packaging can have on both business and the environment.   IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS: [06.51] The truth about fossil-based plastic production. “99% of plastics are made from oil and/or natural gas: so the greater the demand for plastic packaging, the greater the need for fossil fue

Today I’m excited to be joined by 1-Stop: a trailblazer in port logistics solutions, that is working with communities across the world to lead the way in supply chain innovation, building products that continue to enhance productivity and make life easier. Established in Sydney in 2002, 1-Stop is a world leader in developing innovative solutions for the global port community. Working closely with industry operators, its suite of tailored and integrated products has been developed to help streamline operations, enhance efficiency and optimize productivity throughout the supply chain. With the aim to deliver efficiency gains for all, 1-Stops’s customers include shipping lines, port and terminal operators, freight forwarders, customs brokers, 3PLs, trucking companies, rail operators, importers and exporters. Today Michael Bouari, CEO at 1-Stop, joins me to chat all about the company; what they do; some of the biggest challenges facing the global port community right now; and the innovations we should expect in t

Today I’m thrilled to be joined by a giant in business spend management; a company that is looking to unify supply chain, procurement, payments and treasury in one smart and seamless platform, Coupa. Founded in 2006, Coupa is the cloud platform for business spend management, empowering companies around the world with the visibility and control they need to spend smarter and safer. In partnership with the Business Spend Management (BSM) Community, Coupa is constantly co-creating new and unique capabilities that deliver transparency, efficiency, actionable insights and solutions to customers, partners and suppliers, so they can understand and manage their spending. Today Matt Tichon, Vice President of Industry Strategy at Coupa Software, joins me to chat all about the company; what they do; the impact of COVID on supply chain resiliency; and why innovation, collaboration and visibility are the keys to business success.   IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS: [3.34] A brief background on Coupa and Matt. [05.55] How Matt c

In today’s episode of Women In Supply Chain, I’m joined by Ana Lucia Alonzo: a powerhouse supply chainer, who has held impressive leadership roles at major global consumer brands. After gaining a degree in industrial engineering and an MBA at INCAE Business School in her home nation of Guatemala, Ana Lucia dived feet first into a career in supply chain. Her career has taken her around the world and seen her climb the ranks of supply chain leadership in huge brands like Chiquita. Ana Lucia is now bringing together everything she’s learned so far as VP of global supply chain at Starbucks. Today Ana Lucia will be talking to us about her career so far, her take on COVID demand and disruption, the importance of brands embracing sustainability; and she’ll be sharing her words of advice for all of the women following in her footsteps.

We are finding that a lot of supply chain software takes a lot of time for on boarding and our guest today is here to tell us about their solution that can be implemented in days! Thats right Chris from Right Sized inventory is here to tell us all about how they make that happen and what they are doing for warehouses everywhere, Chris is the Vice President of Right Sized Inventory, an optimization software that helps companies eliminate inventory imbalances through real life simulations. By gathering the correct data all in one place, RSI helps companies get started with predictive analytics and supply chain optimization. With safety stock being questioned these days because of Covid and organizations are looking at different solutions to help diversify their inventory such as just in case instead of just in time, Chris tells us how his clients are using the data RSI provides them with differently, and they are seeing requests they have never seen before. The unique selling point with RSI is that they help c

Today I’m pleased to be joined by Skill Dynamics, an exciting and people-focused company on a mission to provide high impact digital training programs that upskill and effectively prepare corporate employees for everything required to excel in their role. Skill Dynamics offers expert, practical e-learning solutions for procurement and supply chain teams. Their real-world role-based programs, delivered with a customized and collaborative approach, have been rolled out to over 300,000 students to date. And with offices in the US, Europe, Middle East and China, and over 520 blue chip clients, they’re making a real impact on core training worldwide. Today David Rajakovich, CEO at Skill Dynamics, joins me to chat all about the company; what they do; the impact of the COVID crisis on staff training, procurement and ecommerce; and the power of digital.   IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS: [06.10] Exactly what Skill Dynamics does. “We’re laser focused on raising the performance of corporate learners.” [07.48] Skill Dynami

Today I’m excited to be joined by EasyMile, a truly innovative and forward-thinking global business, which provides software and complete solutions for driverless mobility and goods transportation. EasyMile's driverless technology is at the core of award-winning solutions for mobility, intralogistics and more. With quality delivery and real-world deployments, their certified, expert software is bringing autonomous vehicles around the world, in over 300 locations and more than 30 countries, to life. Today Joseph Holmes, Director of Sales at EasyMile, joins me to chat all about the company, what they do, the amazing technology behind their solutions and the role autonomous vehicles will play in the future of the industry, and the world.   IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS: [06.46] Joseph shares the story of how EasyMile was founded and the company's key milestones. “Our CEO experienced congestion and pollution… he wanted to reclaim the cities.” [10.44] Exactly what EasyMile does. “By heart, we’re a software company

In today’s episode of Women In Supply Chain, I’m joined by Shana Zheng: a strategic, entrepreneurial and customer-obsessed product and business leader. After working as an analyst at huge names like JP Morgan and Disney, Shana went on to co-found her own company, successfully raising over $1.8 million from Google Ventures. And after subsequent roles at brands including GoFundMe, Shana moved across to the world of supply chain and has never looked back. She’s now Associate Director of Product Management, International Supply Chain at Wayfair, managing logistics execution, product vision, strategy and execution of transportation management for international freight forwarding. Today Shana will be talking to us about her career so far, her entrepreneurial spirit, her passion for working with charities; and she’ll be sharing her words of advice for all of the up-and-coming women following in her footsteps.   SHOW SPONSOR: Apex Logistics is proud to sponsor Let’s Talk Supply Chain’s Women in Supply Chain podcast a

Today’s episode is a little bit different from the norm. As always, I’m joined by a special guest, but it won’t be to bring you a business profile or the kind of interview you’re used to! Instead, my guest Jonathan Kempe, founder and CEO at Verifai, and I will be making a very special announcement, and sharing the ins and outs of our exciting news with you. We’ve been working on this quietly behind the scenes for a while, paddling against the COVID tide, and I’m incredibly proud that we can finally launch this next stage of our LTSC journey. And make no mistake, there is a lot more on the horizon!   IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS: [07.49] Jonathan and Sarah make a big announcement! [10.38] Jonathan discusses the potential he sees in the opportunity and in the LTSC brand. “There’s a need in supply chain for clarity, for collaboration – because supply chains can be so chaotic, we need to work together... and those things are possible when we have a platform to facilitate those conversations.” [14.11] Despite the